Knife moistening appliance for fabric cutting machines



NES

F. J. CLARK May 15, 1934.

KNIFE MOISTENING APPLIANCE FOR FABRIC CUTTING MACHI Filed Jan. 2, 1932 Patented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES KNIFE MOISTENING APPLIANCE FOR FABRIC CUTTING MACHINES Frederick J. Clark,

Eastman Machine Company, Buffalo,

Buffalo, N. Y., assignor to Application January 2, 1932, Serial No. 584,501

Claims.

This invention relates more particularly to improvements in portable fabric cutting machines of that type commonly known as cloth cutting machines, which comprise a base, a knife 5 and driving means therefor mounted on said base, and which machines are adapted to be moved about by hand on a cutting table or support for cutting layers or sheets of fabric or material lying on the table. In the use of such IOmachines for cutting some kinds of materials such, for example, as rubber, rubberized fabrics or other materials that have a tendency to cling to or leave deposits adhering to the knife, the

friction on the knife is such as to greatly increase the resistance to its movement, require increased power to drive the knife and decrease the efiiciency of the machine unless means are provided for moistening or lubricating the surfaces of the knife which contact with the fabrics in cutting the same.

A primary object of my invention is to provide means of improved construction which will effectively moisten or lubricate the knives of cutting machines of the character mentioned, ir-

-respective of the thickness of the lays of goods being cut and will prevent the liquid used for moistening the knives from being spattered on the goods or on other parts of the machine.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a knife moistening or lubricating attachment for cutting machines which is of simple and inexpensive construction and can be readily applied to machines already in use; which is readily adjustable with respect to the knife so as 36 to insure lubrication or moistening of the whole area of the surfaces of the knife which contact with the material being cut; which is constructed and arranged so as not to interfere with the usual operation of the adjustable presser foot or device which holds down the upper layer of the material being cut; and which has the other features of improvement and advantage hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

46 Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a cloth cutting machine having a reciprocating knife and equipped with a knife lubricating or moistening means embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is' an enlarged sectional plan view through the moistening appliance on line 3-3, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional elevation thereof on line 4--4, Fig. 3.

66 Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a cloth cutting machine having a rotary circular knife and equipped with knife moistening or lubricating means embodying my invention.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4, the cutting machine as there illustrated comprises, as usual, 50 a base 10 adapted to rest on the cutting table or supporting surface beneath the material being cut, an upright standard or knife guide 11 rising from the base, a knife blade 12 which reciprocates vertically in a guide slot in the front edge of the standard 11 and is operatively con nected by a pitman or driving device 13 to an electric or other suitable motor 14 supported by the standard 11. The machine is provided with the usual handle 15 by which it is manipulated or moved about on the cutting table to cause the knife to follow the desired cutting line. 16 re resents a presser foot arranged, as usual, in front of the knife above the base 10 and mounted on the lower end of a vertical rod 1'? which is vertically adjustable in a suitable guide 18 to permit the presser foot to be adjusted toward or from the base, as may be necessary, to suit the lay of material being cut. In the ordinary use of the machine, frequent adjustments of the presser foot have to be made so that it will operate to properly hold down the top layer or layers of material, but can be nevertheless raised to pass bulges in the material caused as by making abrupt turns in the line of cut. The presser foot is therefore commonly controlled by a clamp or holding device 19 which can be quickly and conveniently actuated to permit the presser foot to be raised and which operates to allow the presser foot to automatically return to the position in which it bears on the top surface of the lay of material. The machine as thus fardescribed is of usual construction and may be of the construction illustrated or of other suitable construction. 9

The knife moistening or lubricating device or attachment comprises an appliance or holder 20 which is adapted to be secured stationarily in different vertical adjustments adjacent the knife and holds a sponge or other suitable material 21 which is kept moistoned or saturated with water or other appropriate liquid and. which wipes the surface of the knife as the latter reciprocates so as to keep the surfaces of the knife clean and apply thereto the water or liquid. In the preferred construction illustrated in the drawing, the holder 20 is in the form of a receptacle or container provided at its rear with spaced arms or parts 22 which embrace the standard 11 and are clamped thereon so 110 lated as desired. provided with sight feed means 33 by which as to stationarily secure the holder on the standard, as by screws 24 connecting the arms 22 of the holder in rear of the standard. The holder is hollow or formed with a chamber 25 in which the moisture holding sponge or material 21 is confined and through openings in the top and bottom of which the knife passes so that the sponge or material contacts with and is adapted to wipe and moisten the cutting edge and opposite surface portions of there ciprocating knife which project forwardly out of the knife guide slot in the standard. Preferably also, the top or cover 26 of the holder is removable to permit the insertion and removal of the sponge or material 21.

The liquid for moistening or lubricating the knife is delivered to the material in the holder 20 so as to keep the same always moistened or saturated to the required extent, preferably from a reservoir 36 suitably supported on the machine and having a discharge fitting 31 provided with a discharge control valve 32 whereby the supply of liquid to the holder can be regu- The fitting 31 shown is also it can be ascertained at all times whether or not the liquid is being properly fed to the holder 20. As shown in the drawing, the reservoir is stationarily mounted on the upper front portion of the machine and a flexible tube leads from the discharge fitting to the top of the sponge receptacle 20 at one side of the standard 11. By means of the discharge regu lating valve, the liquid can be supplied to the sponge or material in the receptacle as fast as it is used up by. the knife so that while the knife will be kept always moistened to the required extent, there will be no waste of the liquid, and the splashing or spattering of the liquid out of the receptacle 20 by the movement of the knife will be prevented. v

Since the holder is adjustable vertically on thestandard 11, it can be readily secured at the proper elevation with reference to the stroke of the knifeto insure that the entire cutting portion of the knife which contacts with the goods will contact with and be wiped by the moisture containing sponge or material 21 in, the reciprocations of the knife, and the sponge or material 211s ofsubstantial vertical depth so as to contact with a substantial area of the knife, thereby insuring adequate moistening of the knife.

By applying the moisture to the knife by means of the moisture containing sponge or material .21 to which the liquid is supplied in regulated quantity, the sponge or material 21 will always be kept saturated to an extent to properly apply the moisture to the knife while nevertheless there will be no surplus or waste of liquid which Would cause spattering or splashing of the liquid out of the receptacle, and while the appliance can be adjusted to the proper elevation to locate it close to the lay of material being cut to insure proper moistening of the knife, it is entirely independent of or disconnected from the presser foot so that the latter is free to move vertically and be adjusted as required in the operation of the machine and the movement and adjustment of the presser foot is in no wise hindered as it might be if the appliance were connected to 01' supported by the presser foot.

The circular knife machine shown in Fig. 5 is provided, as usual, with a rotary circular knife 40 mounted on a standard 41 rising from the supporting base 42 and forming the support for the knife and knife-driving motor 43. In this embodiment of the invention, as in the construction above described, the moisture applying device 44 preferably comprises a receptacle or holder containing a body of sponge or material through which the knife passes so as to be wiped by the sponge or material and so as to be moistened by the moisture or liquid held by the sponge or material. In this construction also the appliance is mounted for vertical adjustment so that it can be placed at the required elevation above the base to suit the lay of material being cut, for which purpose the appliance is shown as secured at the lower end of a vertical rod 45 which is adjustable vertically in a stationary guide or bracket 46 on the front of the machine in which the rod may be secured in different vertical adjustments by means of a clamping screw 47. As in the construction first described, the water or liquid is delivered to the receptacle 44 from a reservoir 48 through a discharge fitting and flexible tube 49 provided with a discharge regulating valve 50 and sight feed device 51.

I claim:

1. The combination with a fabric cutting machine comprising a supporting base, a knife and means for driving the knife carried by the base,

of an absorbent moisture-ladened body past which the knife travels and which wipes and moistens the surfaces of the knife which contact with the fabric being cut, a holder for said body,

a fixed support rising from the base, and means for securing said holder on said support at different distances from the base whereby the holder and moisture-holding body can be set and held stationary close to the top surfaces of lays of fabric of different thicknesses, a liquid reservoir having a discharge passage for delivering liquid from the reservoir to said moistureholding body, and regulating means for controlling the delivery of liquid to said body so as to keep the latter moistened to the required degree.

2. A fabric cutting machine according to claim 1, in which said moisture-ladened body for the liquid is of a thickness in the direction of travel of the knife to contact with a portion of the knife approximating the thickness of the lay of material being cut by the knife. 1

3. The combination of a fabric cutting ma chine comprising a base, a standard rising from said base, a vertically reciprocating knife guided by said standard, and driving means supported by said standard for reciprocating said knife,

of an absorbent moisture-ladened body past 4. A fabric cutting machine acording to claim 3, in which said holder comprises a receptacle in which said moisture-ladened body is contained and which is provided with parts which embrace and are adjustably clamped on said standard so as to permit the holder to be stationarily secured at different distances from the base to suit lays of fabric of different thicknesses.

and adjustable toward and from the lay of fabric being cut whereby said holder and body carried thereby can be set close to the top surfaces of lays of fabrics of different thicknesses, a liquid reservoir, and regulating means for controlling the delivery of liquid from said reservoir to said moisture-ladened body to maintain the same moistened to the required extent by said liquid.

FREDERICK J. CLARK. 

